Ex-Indian Olympic wrestler Vinesh Phogat beats BJP in Haryana election

New Delhi: Congress candidate and former wrestler Vinesh Phogat has won the Julana assembly seat in Haryana. “Truth has won,” said Ms Phogat in her first reaction after her poll victory. 

Her win comes even as the ruling BJP has crossed the majority mark in the Haryana assembly and was leading on 50 seats, while the Congress was ahead on 35, according to the latest trends on the Election Commission website.

The BJP's stellar performance in Haryana, set for a third term in the state, has invalidated the exit poll results that have predicted a Congress comeback in the state.

Undeterred by the trends, the 30-year-old remained hopeful and said, “Let's wait for sometime. When the certificates will come, the Congress will form the government.” 

The counting of votes polled in the October 5 Haryana elections began at 8 am on Tuesday.

The Olympian defeated BJP's Captain Yogesh Bairagi, a former Army officer, and former professional wrestler Kavita Dalal from the Aam Aadmi Party - a member of the opposition bloc INDIA at the centre - with a margin of more than 6,000 seats.

Ms Phogat, who suffered an Olympic heartbreak this year after her shock disqualification, joined the Congress on September 6. She made it to the party's candidate list just hours later.